


The Beginning

by Bibliophile_13



Series: Marauders' Era [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 13:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16159958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibliophile_13/pseuds/Bibliophile_13
Summary: Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Severus Snape's first school year at Hogwarts!





	The Beginning

Lily sobbed, holding her hands to her face, hoping that the other people in the compartment weren’t judging her too much. Oh, for goodness’ sakes, she thought. What does it matter? Petunia… Petunia thinks I’m a freak!

She heard the door to the compartment open, and someone walk in. Severus, surely. “I don’t want to talk to you,” she said, trying to clear her tears. She was certain her voice sounded terrible, but she didn’t care much at the moment.

“Why not?” answered Severus, confused.

“Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.”

“So what?”

She glared at him. So what? “So she’s my sister!” she said, indignant.

“She’s only a-” muggle, he was going to say, but Lily didn’t hear him, she was too busy wiping away her last tears.

“But we’re going!” he said, excited. “This is it! We’re off to Hogwarts!” he was trying to cheer her up, of course, but Lily could feel no excitement at the prospect, though the attempt was appreciated.

Lily nodded, trying to feel some happiness, for Severus’s sake, and smiled halfheartedly.

“You’d better be in Slytherin,” said Snape, grinning.

“Slytherin?” Lily turned her attention to the boy who had spoken, one with black hair and brown eyes and glasses, whom Lily couldn’t help but think was really very attractive before stuffing the thought down.

“Who wants to be in Slytherin?” the boy continued. “I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” he asked the other boy sitting next to him, one with slightly longer dark brown hair and dark eyes.

“My whole family have been in Slytherin,” said the other boy, unsmiling.

“Blimey,” said the first boy. “And I thought you seemed alright!”

The second boy smiled. “Maybe I’ll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?”

The first boy lifted an invisible sword. “Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad,” he said.

Severus made a small noise of disgust, and Lily frowned. Really, the two didn’t seem to be good, but she didn’t think there was anything wrong with wanting to be in Gryffindor, especially if that’s where his dad was from.

“Got a problem with that?” said the first boy, turning to Severus.

“No,” said Severus, though Lily noticed he had a slight sneer. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy-”

“Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” the second boy interrupted.

The first boy exploded into laughter, and Lily stood up, angry. “Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment.”

“Ooooh,” said James, imitating her. Honestly, she thought. What a bunch of self-righteous gits.

She walked out of the compartment, noticing that the first boy tried to trip Severus as he passed. With a final glare at them, she walked out into the hall, hearing their taunts as she closed the compartment door, Severus behind her.

“See ya, Snivellus!”

“Ignore them,” she whispered to Severus. “They’re just a bunch of gits.”

“I know that. Anyone in Gryffindor is bound to be,” he said, sneering. “You’ll see, once we’re in Slytherin together. They’re all as annoying as that one.”

“They can’t all be that bad,” said Lily, hesitantly.

“They can,” said Severus. “You’ll see.”

Lily trusted Severus, trusted him with her life. And if he thought that all Gryffindors were bad, then she believed him. Please, don’t put me in Gryffindor, she silently prayed. But if I am, she thought, something coming to her, and all Gryffindors are self-righteous gits, does that mean I’m a self-righteous git? No, I don’t think I am, she decided, though she hoped she wouldn’t be in Gryffindor anyway.

The rest of the train ride passed without event, but as the Hogwarts Express came to a stop at the station, she looked out onto the huge lake. “Sev,” she whispered, “how do we get to school?”

Sev looked alarmed. “I don’t think my mum ever told me that,” he whispered back.

“Well,” said Lily, standing up straighter, “let’s find out, shall we?”

They came off the train, looking around as to where to go, when they heard a giant voice booming. “FIRST YEARS OVER HERE, PLEASE, FIRST YEARS OVER HERE.”

The man herding them over was large, very large, with a great big black beard and a gruff voice. “I’m Hagrid,” he said, looking down at all the assembled first years. “The Hogwarts gamekeeper. To get to the school, we’re gonna cross the great lake, see?” he pointed to the large mass of water. “Now! Get into groups of two, please, groups of two, and get in a boat.”

Lily turned to Severus. “Well, we’d better get going, shall we?” she said, not afraid in the slightest.

“Sure,” said Sev, though Lily thought he sounded sort of nervous.

Lily led them over to one of the small, brown boats, noticing that the two boys from their first compartment were paired up, running and laughing as they picked a boat. She glared at their backs as she picked a boat.

Once everyone was in a boat, Hagrid led them to the castle, which was glowing with lights in the darkness. Lily felt the boat rock slightly, and started.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Ah, that’d be the giant squid,” said Hagrid, who was beside them. “Been in the lake as long as I can remember.”

“Oh, that’s the one Sev told me about, didn’t you, Sev?” she asked, turning to Severus. He was glaring at Hagrid, though she couldn’t see why. “Sev?” she asked, hesitantly. “Are you all right?”

Severus started. “Fine,” he muttered.

Lily gave him a strange look and turned back to Hagrid. “How’s the giant squid staying alive for so long?” she asked.

Hagrid shrugged. “I dunno. I figure they just have long lives.” he looked her over. “You seem like a bright fella, I bet you could figure it out someday.”

Lily blushed, though she felt pride run through her. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said. “I’m muggle-born, I don’t know a thing.”

“No need to worry about that,” Hagrid said easily. “It doesn’t matter if your muggle-born or pure-blood or half-blood, doesn’t change your ability in the slightest. I was… muggle-born, too, you see.” While Sev had told her that being muggle-born didn't matter, she was sure it meant something. And besides, if it didn't mean anything, why not mention it?

“Oh!” said Lily, delighted. “Well, I think that-” she was cut off by a scream, someone had fallen into the lake. 

“Oi! Pettigrew!” Hagrid screamed, rowing over and getting the boy out of the water. “Get out of the way, out of the way!”

Pettigrew, as Hagrid had called him, was shivering slightly, though he didn’t seem all that much bothered.

“You’re fine, you’re fine,” Hagrid said. “Just a little wet. Here, use my coat-”

“Why don’t you just dry him with magic?” someone asked, and as Lily looked over she saw that it was the first boy from the compartment. “Surely you can, can’t you?”

Hagrid frowned at him. “I ain’t gonna go casting spells on first-years,” he said. “Besides, Potter, a coat works just as well as magic.”

“For mudbloods, maybe,” scoffed another wizard.

Hagrid glared at the boy, and Lily could see that he was very, very angry. Mudblood? she wondered. What’s that? An insult, I assume, but other than that…

“Listen here, Avery,” growled Hagrid, “some of your teachers might be fine with you throwing those words about, but I am not. Keep your dirty mouth shut.”

The boy shut up, though Lily had the feeling that it was more because Hagrid was very much so larger than him than because he actually thought he shouldn’t use those words.

“We’re here,” Hagrid said, turning to the castle, at which they were now stationed. “EVERYONE OUT, EVERYONE OUT.”

Lily stood up, in a daze, almost, as she stared up at the castle. It was beautiful from afar, of course, but even more so up close, as majestic as any palace. She couldn’t believe that she would be living here for an entire year.

Hagrid herded them into the school, where a stern looking teacher in emerald green robes, graying black hair in a tight bun, glasses on the tip of her nose, was standing. “Lovely, Hagrid, I’ll take it from here,” she said.

Turning to the students, the teacher straightened her glasses. “Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, deputy headmistress and your transfiguration teacher. “The start of the term feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be Sorted.

“You will be Sorted into one of four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Each house has its own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, as your rulebreaking will lose them. The house with the most points at the end of the year is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. 

“The Sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the entire school. I suggest you smarten yourselves up while you’re waiting.” Professor McGonagall left the chamber, her cloak sweeping behind her.

Lily looked down at herself unsurely. She hadn’t been apprehensious about her looks, but now she was. She wasn’t exactly able to do anything, though, the robes were mandatory and her appearance couldn’t be changed at this point, so she turned to Severus. “How do they sort us again?” she asked, wrinkling her brow.

“They have this really old hat, the type of thing muggles expect witches and wizards to wear, the really tall ones. They put that on you, and then it shouts out your house.”

“Does it read your mind?” Lily asked, curious.

Sev frowned. “It better not. One’s mind should be theirs and theirs only.”

“Well, of course,” said Lily frankly, “but it’s not as if it’ll go around rummaging through your thoughts trying to find your most embarrassing moment or anything, Sev. It’ll just… I don’t know… sort of see your traits at the inside of you.”

Sev frowned at her. “How do you know that, though?”

It was just the slightest emphasis on you, really, but Lily heard it all the same. Her back stiffened, and her chin went higher up. “I don’t. But it’s an educated guess, and really, it’s no place of yours to judge,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sev stuttered. “I didn’t- I don’t think-”

“You quite obviously do,” a voice cut in. Lily started, recognizing it as the other boy from the train. He turned to Lily and put a hand out. “Sirius Black.”

Lily looked warily down at it, then up at him. She still didn’t like the two of them, and stood by her declaration of self-righteous gits, but they didn’t seem to care she was a muggle-born, at least.

Sev doesn’t care either, she reminded herself. He’s nervous, that’s all. He must get like this when he’s nervous.

“Lily Evans,” she said finally, shaking his hand.

The first boy- Potter, Hagrid had called him- walked over. “James,” he said, grinning lopsidedly. Without waiting for her to introduce herself, (Lily supposed he already knew, she had just told his friend, after all, but she still found it rude.) James turned to Severus.

“I honestly didn’t think you could get much worse, Snivellus. First you think getting into Slytherin is a good thing, now you’re insulting this lovely girl here by calling her a”-James wrinkled his brow- “Muggle-born.”

“Well, I am,” said Lily, glaring at James. No matter he thought he was defending her, he was being so rude! “A muggle-born, that is.”

James turned to her. He seemed slightly taken aback that she was arguing with him on this front, but he really should have expected it. 

“Yes, but the way he was saying it it was as if he were calling you a…” he frowned. “You know, a… mudblood,” he said, wincing at the word.

Lily sighed. “Really, would someone just tell me what a mudblood is? I don’t even know why it’s insulting!”

“It’s a terrible thing of calling a muggle-born witch or wizard,” cut in Sirius. “My family call people that all the time.”

“Blimey, Black,” said James. “Your family gets worse by the minute.”

“Lily isn’t a mudblood,” said Severus softly, but James and Sirius turned to him all the same.

“Ooooh, look at this,” jeered James. “Snivellus has a crush.”

Lily’s cheeks flamed. “Honestly! Sev and I are friends, not that I need to defend myself to you. Really, it makes sense that you wouldn’t understand the concept of friendship, I bet you’ve never had a friend.”

Sirius frowned at her. “That was uncalled for, Lily,” he said, slightly annoyed.

“Maybe it was,” she agreed, “but it doesn’t make his”-a pointed look at James- “actions any better.”

Sirius shook his head and turned back to James, who was still taunting Sev.

“Snivellus has got a crush, see? Look at his little blush! Poor Snivellus’s got a crush on a girl who thinks that they’re just friends,”

Unbelievable, Lily thought. Never mind that Sev was blushing a little, it was really just because he was embarrassed, she was sure. Who wouldn’t be? James was a brat, and Sirius was close behind.

Lily sighed and turned away as she heard Professor McGonagall returned to the hall, frowning at them over the top of her glasses. “Really, Potter,” she admonished. “Is teasing how you would like to start out your year?”

James looked surprised and uncomfortable, Lily was glad that at least Professor McGonagall wouldn’t put up with things like that. “Of course not, Professor, I was just… it was only a jest,” he said, with a sickly sweet smile.

“Very well, Potter, but do know that if I see it happening again, it will be five points from Gryffindor, whether it’s my house or not.”

James looked thunderstruck, as if he would never even imagine taking points from his house. Lily supposed that he was the type of person who wouldn’t, although Lily could certainly see why Professor McGonagall would. Really, she agreed with her.

“Now,” said Professor McGonagall. “I want you to make a line please, yes,”

All the first years made a line with Professor McGonagall at the head. She gave them a final once-over and nodded. “Come along, then,” she said, opening the doors.

Lily gaped, as did many of the first years, at the Great Hall. It was amazing- wooden tables and structuring, with lights all around, huge windows, and the ceiling- goodness, the ceiling! It was the height of magic Lily had seen so far, enchanted to represent the sky outside.

“It’s amazing, Sev,” she whispered, her vice with him forgotten.

“Yeah,” he replied, and she could hear excitement in his voice. “It’s even better than Mum described.”

They stood in an area toward the front of the school, and Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the school, saying something that Lily completely missed. She wasn’t usually one to ignore teachers, but it was all so mesmerizing. She had a vague realization that someone was singing, but decided that she didn’t much care and went back to studying the Great Hall.

“Ashgrove, Seline!” Professor McGonagall called out, and the girl stepped forward. Attention turning to the front, where she watched raptly as Seline sat on a stool and Professor McGonagall put a hat on her head. The hat opened its mouth (Lily realized with a start that it did indeed have a mouth, which she found incredibly strange) and shouted.

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

The Sorting, Lily thought. Why, Sev was serious! While Sev was serious about most, if not all things, she couldn't help but feel he was jesting her at least a little with this. But apparently, he wasn't. She noticed that no one else seemed nearly as surprised as she was and blushed. Professor McGonagall must have explained it while she was admiring the Great Hall. Really, Lily, she scolded herself. You must pay attention to things like this.

Lily watched, slightly bored, as the Sorting went on, until a certain name was called out.

“Black, Sirius!” called Professor McGonagall.

Sirius Black! It was the boy from the train, the second one, who had said his entire family had been Slytherin. Lily perked up, wondering what he would get.

The hat took a little longer with him, before screaming “GRYFFINDOR!”

The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers, and Lily sank back. Gryffindor. Well, it seemed as if James and Sirius would remain friends after all.

“Evans, Lily!” said Professor McGonagall, after what seemed like forever, and she hurried up to the stage, grinning. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head and smiled at her.

Why, she heard a voice in her head. What an interesting thing. You don’t want to be in Gryffindor, do you?

Sev says it’s the worst house, she thought back.

Hmmm, said the Sorting Hat. I quite disagree. And really, you’re best suited to it.

Put me in whatever house I’m suited to, Lily thought. I’m going to be what I’m going to be, and I don’t want Sev’s opinions to interfere with that.

“GRYFFINDOR!” the Sorting Hat cried, and Lily leapt up, walking to the table amidst the cheers from her fellow Gryffindors.

Lily turned back to look at Sev, and saw a frown on his face, one filled with- disgust? Lily remembered her earlier resolve that she was not a self-righteous git, even if she was in Gryffindor, and all of a sudden wondered if Sev thought the same. No, she decided, he couldn't, he knows me. But Lily knew in her heart that she wasn't quite convinced.


End file.
